Japan’s prime minister talks trade with EU leaders

Recent discussions in Europe about a gas price cap are said to have been tough, heated and even ugly. The European Commission has put a proposal on the table, but EU member states are finding it difficult to reach a compromise among themselves – despite giving their political support to a gas price cap in late October.

European leaders have promised aid to Ukraine "for as long as it takes." But the amount of aid promised has not been what has actually arrived in Ukraine. DW's Nick Connolly takes a look at what kind of support has been pledged so far.

The EU has pledged to free a part of the funds earmarked for Hungary in exchange for Budapest allowing joint funding for Ukraine. Hungary has also announced it would start debating Finland's and Sweden's NATO membership.

Leaders from Europe and Southeast Asia are hopeful a summit this week will usher in an era of better economic ties and help European producers in Asia diversify away from China.

EU member states are divided on the cap, with Germany, Austria and the Netherlands skeptical of the policy. Talks will resume on Monday, with France a key player in the final negotiations.

The Japanese government is planning to offer couples extra money for having children, but with costs rising steeply and wages static, that is unlikely to be an adequate incentive, say experts.

EU leaders gathering in Brussels for their last meeting of 2022 had busy agenda dealing with internal disagreements and a subsidy spat with the US. A corruption scandal was also overshadowing the event.

EU leaders gathering in Brussels for their last meeting of 2022 had busy agenda dealing with internal disagreements and a subsidy spat with the US. A corruption scandal was also overshadowing the event.

The German government has been given the go-ahead by the European Commission to nationalize ailing gas importer Uniper, as well as Sefe (formerly Gazprom Germania).

The European Union is investing billions in infrastructure in its effort to replace Russian fuels with liquefied natural gas. This could prove to be a dead end — both for taxpayers and for the climate.

After months of negotiation, the EU reached an agreement on a gas price cap at 180€ per megawatt hour. However, concerns remained about its impact on gas supples.

The EU's competition watchdog has accused tech giant Meta, which owns Facebook and Instagram, of breaching antitrust rules. An early analysis says the firm distorted competition in the online classified ads business.